The Senate committee on National planning and economy affairs has expressed its readiness to make law that will stand the test of time.
Chairman of the Committee Senator Yahaya Abdulahi stated this during the committee interactive session with some ministries and agencies of government on Wednesday in Abuja.
“We are trying to make a law that will stand the test of time. This law is regarding an act or a bill to amend the Act of Revenue, Population, Allocation and Fiscal Commission so that it is in tandem with the realities of the situation.
“As they are now, they don’t have the resources to cover the mandate that has been given to them by the Constitution. Therefore, it is incumbent on us to look into their act to find the ways and means of funding them.
“But if we are to do that, we have to also take into account the reality of the Nigerian situation and also to make sure that we don’t give them powers that they don’t have under the Constitution.
According to him the committee in fight of the sympathy for the Commission regarding the shortage of funds;
“we are not willing to go into a system of funding that is irresponsible, that does not take account of the realities of this country, but that is also useful for them if we can get them the kind of resources that are adequate for them to carry out their
constitutional mandate.
“that’s why we invited the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Finance, for them to sit together and from the discussions that we had, the variety of issues.
“the committee decided to get the three institutions together, so that they can go through the act given the discussions that we have had with them. So that they can common loose a harmonized position for the consideration of committee. The issue of 10% deduction for cerebral spells. Thank you. Lisa? It is easy toene it down? We don’t… I don’t want to discuss any issue now, on any figure, let them sit on it. And at the end of the day, the committee will sit and then look at all the things that they have done. Then we have used our own powers, you know, to think of what is right. It’s not what they come out with that will just go through like that. You know, it has to come before deliberation by members of the committee. Afterwards, we write a report before the full Senate. And the Senate at that point has the right and the power to either agree with our submissions or to amend our submissions or to even throw our submissions away.
